Tarnished by Erica Rose Eberhart 💕 Book Tour, Behind the Scenes and $10 Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Lesbian Romantasy)

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An outlawed magic, a hidden curse, and a love tested by fire.

In the struggling city of Braewick, a determined 20-year-old gate guard named Ailith MacCree longs for a chance at financial stability and adventure. Little does she know, her wish is about to come true. She accepts a mission from Princess Greer that promises both: escort Princess Caitriona to the Endless Mountains to meet the enigmatic hermit for a great financial reward. Ailith jumps at the opportunity and bids goodbye to all she's ever known. But as they journey together, Ailith discovers that Caitriona holds a dangerous secret-she possesses powerful magic in a kingdom where magic is outlawed.

Ailith and Caitriona face mysterious attacks and supernatural challenges. But as they delve deeper into the treacherous landscape, Ailith learns of Caitriona's tragic past and the dark curse that threatens her very existence.

With rebellion brewing in Braewick, and the oppressive king hot on their trail, Ailith must not only navigate her growing feelings for Caitriona, but also fight against relentless foes. As they race against time to stop the curse, Ailith and Caitriona uncover shocking truths about their kingdom, their families, and themselves.

Will their burgeoning romance survive the trials ahead? Can they break the curse and save their homeland from tyranny? Join Ailith and Caitriona on a thrilling quest filled with magic, danger, and heart-pounding adventure. Fans of high-stakes fantasy will not want to miss this epic tale.

A Day Behind the Scenes – Writing with Erica Rose Eberhart

As a neurodivergent author I thrive in routine; to have a daily schedule helps me focus and changes to that schedule often throw me off. Being a stay-at-home mother as well as an author, well, that combats my day-to-day schedule needs with such surprises as Kindergarten-colds and snow days. No two days are the same and there’s always the chance my schedule will change. This has thrown me a bit off kilter in the last year and forced me to fight a little harder to focus with my schedule being so inconsistent, but I still try to stay on course as much as possible and thrive in this schedule.

On school days, we get up rather late and rush to get ready to send our little one off on the school bus. Afterward, my spouse and I enjoy coffee and breakfast together for about a half hour before we drift off to our designated work areas. Living in a 1,000 sq ft apartment where we both work has left our living space rather tight and our office space a shared one. Still, we vibe together as we work side by side on our various yet different tasks.

During my work day—which is the length of time that my little one is at school—I go over the tasks I wrote down the night before. Social medial updates, answering emails, and then focusing on whatever writing tasks need to be done. When I’m editing, I’ll write out an editorial list of all chapters I need to complete and the specific editorial tasks that are needed to be done. Whether it’s a line edit, searching for overused phrases, or formatting corrections, I’ll go over each task one by one until all is complete and this can take anywhere from a week to a month depending on the project. Crossing off one at a time makes me feel accomplished and helps push me through areas that may drag.

I never thought just how much work being an author is in regards to social media. Creating content, posting it, responding to comments (which I’m horrible at), answering emails and providing reviews to books I’ve received, and writing articles takes so much time. It’s hard to juggle that plus my work as a writer, so I try to keep all of that to the start of the day with a brief check in towards the end, and my writing and editing work in the middle.

If it’s a writing day, that comes with all the fixings. A lit candle bought specifically for my desk, soft music, fresh coffee, and notebooks detailing everything I need to remember for whatever adventure I’m diving into. Often when I write, I hyperfixate. It’s all I’ll do and I find it hard to resurface. Often people will respond with some sense of awe when I mention how quickly I write my drafts but I truly would never recommend it because my work/life balance is completely forgotten when I’m drafting. I live and breathe words and write as if I’m running out of time to get it out of my head. A benefit to having my spouse as my coworker is that he reminds me to eat or that the work day is nearing its end. I could write the full day if I let myself but that’s a recipe for burnout and not something I want to endure.

When I’m writing something new, it’s all I can do. I can’t work on anything else. When I edit, I can do a little more but not too much—pleasure reading in my free time is one thing I slowly accomplish while I edit but can never maintain while writing.

Once the school day is done, I shift to mother mode. Often I’m still doing work regarding my writing. Whether it’s answering emails and social media, creating more content, or filing paperwork. But the afternoon mixes with household chores like laundry, cleaning, scheduling appointments or running errands as well as hanging out with my little one. Every once in a while I’ll be able to write or edit during this time, particularly if a deadline is drawing near, but I find it hard to focus with a small child beside me.

My spouse makes dinner while I finish up household chores and by the time our little one is bed; the day is often done. Often, but not always. In most cases this is the moment I set my writing aside and let my brain rest for the evening unless I’m on deadline or writing something new. In those situations, I go back to writing straight after dinner and keep up the work until bedtime.

Just with nature, there are seasons with my work life. Moments where I’m focused on writing something new and have little time for anything else, to days where I’m able to choose to set my writing aside and focus on home life. Less frequently, but still guaranteed, are the week-long breaks between projects I enforce upon myself. If I keep going from project to project without a chance to simply exist, I find I suffer in all areas of my life because all of this remains a full-time job as I often have writing work leak into my evenings and consistently through the weekend. I’m able to achieve so much due to the support my spouse brings by taking over tasks within the household—particularly during my busiest seasons (book release and leading up to deadlines). It truly takes a village to get this work done and for that I’m grateful for mine.

“She took three of our men. We’ll come back for what remains of them later.” The hunter walking beside the cart smiled at Ailith. The short sword hanging at his side still dripped blue blood. “But we got her anyway.”

He patted the uncovered head placed proudly on top of the cart. A woman’s head, by all appearance, until you noticed her pale skin had a slightly green hue, the ripple of gills just behind her ears, and rows of pointed teeth in her open mouth, all the tell-tale imagery of a caroling countess. A tickling of unease rose along Ailith’s neck as she looked at the corpse. She shifted on her feet, attempting to appear unbothered. The guard didn’t notice her discomfort, or perhaps he didn’t care. “King Cearny will be glad; don’t you agree?”

“Aye, leave her be,” the driver of the cart chided. Another hunter, older than the one on foot, and more kind, offered

Ailith a soft smile. “You’re the same guard when we left yesterday afternoon. Haven’t you finished your shift?”

Ailith pressed her lips together and shook her head. The scent of the countess’ blood filled her nostrils and made her queasy. This was the closest she ever came to a countess, although she heard the creature’s song for a fortnight and witnessed men leave through the northern gate never to return. Now she lay before Ailith on the cart, her eyes vacant and cloudy. One of her hands, so human-like besides her nails ending in clawed points, stretched forward as if begging Ailith for aid.

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Erica Rose Eberhart grew up in the Catskills region and spent many formative years in both Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia. She now resides with her family and cat in the Finger Lakes region of New York. A technical editor by trade, she has a Master’s degree in English and Creative Writing. Erica has written stories since she was able to write sentences and has found comfort in fantasy her entire life, whether by consuming fantastical stories or creating her own. Beside the comfort of books, Erica adores nature walks, crocheting, embroidery, cats, baking and autumn. You can follow her many adventures on social media @ericaroseeberhart. Tarnished is her first published novel.